


Agliophobia

by thedorkyastra



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Gender Neutral Farmer, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hurt/Comfort, Implied slowburn, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Injuries, Pre-Relationship, Protective Harvey, minor gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25142203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedorkyastra/pseuds/thedorkyastra
Summary: He didn’t mind the gore. That was fine. What he didn’t enjoy was the suspense, not knowing, loss of control, and the promise of pain.
Relationships: Harvey (Stardew Valley)/Reader, Harvey/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Agliophobia

Harvey believed himself to be a coward by nature. His fear of heights was so debilitating that he traveled everywhere by train, bus, car, or even  _ sea _ if it meant he would never set foot in a plane. It crushed him every time. His mouse hovering over the plane tickets before closing the tab with a resigned anxious sigh before booking an Ultrabus for a total 16-hour journey across Ferngill to get to Voidspire Falls. Not including the bus ride to Zuzu City to catch the Ultrabus which was always at least three hours. He could only make the trip once a year to visit his mom, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Grumpleton’s airport didn’t even have tickets to Voidspire and he would have to get on a connecting flight and there was no way his anxiety would let him get on  _ two _ plane rides. Acrophobia, however, wasn’t the end of it. His  _ arachnophobia _ , while mild in comparison, was enough to keep him on his toes most days, and he couldn’t watch any thriller, slasher, or horror movie without hiding under the covers in terror the rest of the night. He didn’t mind the gore. That was fine. No amount of blood and intestines would make him squirm having all of his squeamishness scorched by his time in the Zuzu City Burn Unit. What he didn’t enjoy was the suspense, not knowing, loss of control, and the promise of  _ pain _ . 

Unlike the ambitious surgeons that surrounded him during his time in med school, Harvey didn’t take the same pleasure in getting the cases with rare diseases and surgeries. They would clamber over each other like a scene straight out of Ashen’s Anatomy while he would wait patiently for his assignments. He spent his time setting bones, comforting families in mourning, and performing the simpler surgeries. While someone’s life could always be on the line on the table it wasn’t a heart or brain surgery. Not that working in the Burn Unit was  _ easy,  _ but it didn’t require the same delicate touch. It was why he never excelled like the others, but that was fine with him. He didn’t find shame in working in Pelican Town. He came into this profession to  _ help _ people not to treat patients like interactive freakshows, or be glorified as a hero. He wanted to make people feel better and do something with his life that he could have pride in. With time, seeing people in pain had become bearable, it had to be if he was going to get any work done, but when it came to you all of his years of experience seemed to disappear. 

Harvey had honestly lost the count of the number of times he’d been woken up early in the morning by Linus who’d found you unconscious and badly wounded. Your skin scorched, eaten away by acid, and covered in soot. There were injuries that at times he couldn’t even make heads or tails of. He knew whatever was in the mines was dangerous and it was why every time you woke up he lectured you about it. No ore, gem, or unique artifact was worth your  _ life _ but you never listened. Less perceptive onlookers thought that the terse words you two shared meant that he didn’t care for you anymore (as Shane put it, “his least favorite patient”), but the truth was quite the opposite. He lectured because out of everyone in the world it  _ scared _ him the most to see you in pain. It was horrifying to him that he’d grown used to sitting by your bedside till you woke up, praying that he was enough to keep you alive. By some miracle, you always would, but not without consequence. Not without marks of what had happened. By this point, you didn’t even bother sticking around for an argument. Harvey could never make you stay, but he never stopped trying. He  _ couldn’t _ stop trying no matter how the divide widened between the two of you, because despite everything he was still deeply, unabashedly, irrevocably in love with you. Even if you never knew, he’d spend his dying breath trying to protect you in the only way he knew how. 

It hadn’t always been like this.  _ Of course _ , it hadn’t. He’d fallen for you, hadn’t he? He could still remember the first day he’d met you, your overalls already covered in dirt despite it being your first day out of the city, your hair tussled, and bag overflowing with seeds and seashells. It wasn’t love at first sight, no, that would have been an infatuation like he had felt about Maru, and he liked to believe he’d come a long way from being the lonely fellow who fell for the first person who showed kindness to him. When he first saw you, he’d been intrigued and truthfully a little intimidated. Something about you was so  _ alive  _ and  _ purposeful _ in a way Harvey had never been. He didn’t see himself as having the capacity to push himself, to give up everything to live out in the middle of nowhere to chase a dream. So, at first, you were just his patient. He hadn’t known how to talk to you or even how to start a friendship, but a few months later that changed.

The sun rays peeked gently over the horizon bathing the town square in a soft golden glow and the gulls were already stretching their vocal cords. Harvey frowned and rolled over to clumsily quiet his alarm taking a full five minutes to pull himself out of bed and shuffle to the kitchen to make his morning ramen. It was finally summer, but he wasn’t all that excited. Summer meant slow days at the clinic and meandering outside alone again until he could close up for the night. Still, he got dressed and shuffled lazily downstairs, he could get some cleaning done before the day started and hopefully swing by the saloon later to grab a coffee. Harvey yawned while unlocking the front door and was suddenly knocked on the head making him stumble backward. 

“ _ Oh my Yoba, I’m so sorry.” _ There the Farmer stood hand clasped over your mouth in mortification, “Are you okay?! I didn’t hit you hard, did I?”

Harvey rubbed his forehead blinking away the stars, “I’m fine. It was more of a surprise than anything.” 

“Oh, thank goodness.”

He shook his head and cleared his throat, “Now, uh, was there something you needed?” Harvey was miffed, but couldn’t very well just shut the door on you.

“Ah! Right.” Your other hand shot out from their side and presented him with a thermos, “I, well, I guess this is an apology now, but I heard that you liked coffee? And so I thought that maybe…” Harvey watched as your gaze grew skittish and your feet shifted side-to-side, “I grew and brew it on my farm so it’s not anything fancy-”

The annoyance flitted away and Harvey took the thermos from you. It was hot to the touch and he unscrewed the cap to be greeted by the sweet acidic aroma. “You want to have coffee together?” The words came out quick, and Harvey winced at his own eager hopefulness. His heart had picked up a bit and he had to physically will his cheeks to remain blushless. 

Your eyes glittered, “Yes!” Then they thought better of themselves, “If you’re up for it if not you can still have the coffee I don’t mind you can just drop it by the farm later o-or I could come by before closing and-”

“I would love to have coffee with you.” 

“Oh! Okay. Great! Do you wanna?” They gestured to the clinic and then outside.

“How does the park sound?”

“The park sounds  _ great _ .” 

You two had sat and talked for hours, long after the coffee had been finished, and Harvey had to rush back to the clinic for Evelyn’s appointment. She’d chuckled when he embarrassedly revealed why he was late and waved him off, “It’s time you settled down.” It was mortifying at the time, but Harvey knew it was true. The coffee had become a morning ritual for the two of you and nothing brought Harvey more joy than waking up in the morning to see your cute sheepish smile with the thermos in your hands. You’d spend the morning talking before getting on to your individual jobs. It didn’t matter what it was, or even if the two of you sat lazily watching the world wake up not a word passed between you, you being around made his world brighter. Rain or shine, you were there with a smile and a cup of coffee, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’d been slow, heart-achingly slow at times, as the years went by and the two of you found yourselves closer and closer spending nights marathoning nerdy TV shows and falling asleep on each other’s couches. Every Sunday he’d be delivered fresh artisanal pickles and he’d use them to make sandwiches for the both of you as you started spending your lunches together. Every moment that wasn’t spent on the farm or the clinic was spent with each other, but he could never find the courage to confess. Even after everything he was… terrified. You hadn’t made a move either so he just… assumed that it was all one-sided, and though his heart ached, your friendship meant so much to him. He didn’t want to ruin things. He’d done it before and he’d be a fool to sacrifice a love so deep for his own selfish wants again. 

Then, for some reason, something changed. 

It was around eight which was a little later than expected, but the traffic from Zuzu City was always bad so he tried to focus on the whistle of the wind and the crisp air. Fall was a beautiful season and he was always thankful to be in the valley, but right now it just served to further his nerves. He felt like the teacher out of the Headless Horsewoman and jumped every time there was so much as a rustle of leaves or hoo of an owl. It didn’t help that Spirit’s Eve was around the corner. He wasn’t a superstitious man, not even particularly strong in faith, but you never quite knew what could be waiting for around the corner and he felt that. It didn’t help that he was going back and forth on trying to… drop the question. He kept going over what he was going to say in his head- try to keep it lighthearted and hopefully imperceptible so he could back out at any second. Nothing would change and he’d know that he could stop hoping that you’d one day want something more. 

Harvey  _ yelped  _ when the bus honked and pulled up to the stop, and suddenly his heart was at a full gallop. He fiddled with the strap of his bag where dinner rested, a little cold, for the two of you to share along with a bottle of wine. He hoped you wouldn’t mind drinking from another’s farm, but it was vintage and he’d gotten a good deal on it. It’d come with a lovely cheese that hilariously was from  _ your  _ farm, which had felt a bit silly since he could’ve gotten it from you for free, but oh well. 

You stepped off the bus and Harvey’s grin was ear-to-ear until he saw the tired almost blank expression on your face. You looked almost surprised to see him even though it had been the plan and then… there was a flicker of emotion on your face before it settled into a plain smile. “Uh… right. Sorry Harv. I’m pretty exhausted from the trip. Can we reschedule?”

“Oh. I suppose we can. A-are you okay?”

He searched your eyes, but you wouldn’t meet them, “Yeah I just need some rest. I’ll see you-”

“Tomorrow?”

“...Yeah, tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow then.”

You nodded shortly and he watched you walk up the path to the farm before disappearing into the night. There was a weight in his chest and he knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t be seeing you tomorrow. And he was right. He wondered what had happened while you were visiting your father, but he never even got the chance to ask, because overnight you became a different person. At first, your mornings, noons, and night were split between the library and the farm with no room for anyone else. You disappeared from festivals and the batch of pickles at his door on his birthday felt hollow and hopeless when he’d barely gotten a conversation in the rest of the season. The others asked him about you when he found himself at the saloon and it felt like someone dug a knife into him. His days seemed  _ dull _ and listless and that horrible loneliness that he once had greeted like an old friend felt  _ awful _ . He’d forgotten what his days before you had been like and even though he tried to reach out to talk to someone everyone else in the town seemed to be getting just as despondent. 

You weren’t buying seeds from Pierre’s and bringing in very little crops, you’d stopped helping Penny with the kids, and Marnie only ever saw you buy the occasional bale of hay. You used to run through the town like a madperson making sure everyone got a birthday present and to fish out your ocean treasures from the crab traps. Winter came and went quietly and then suddenly it was nine at night and there you were knocking at his door with scrapes and bruises. It was pathetic, but he was happy to even  _ see _ you. 

“Y-you’re,”

“I know. The mines are dangerous, but I thought you’d rather I’d come here than just try to sleep it off.”

“I’m just happy to see you.”

Harvey watched his words cut you like a knife and resolved to keep his thoughts to himself while he bandaged you up. This became the new routine as you came to his door later and later with each week. He’d begun expecting you, brewing the coffee he’d bought from Joja and waiting for you downstairs. Harvey needed to know you were coming back safe and if that meant biting his tongue and allowing you to go through whatever it was you needed then he could be patient. He could wait. Or, he had wanted to, and to his credit, he shouldn’t have had to at all. 

You’d always overworked yourself and Harvey had always gently warned you to be careful, but you started coming in with bug bites that swelled like tennis balls, acidic burns with scars that never left, and huge bruises and scrapes. Nauseating yellows, purples, and blues that blotched your entire body like a twisted painting. He’d tried. He’d tried so hard to be understanding, to not let his words be unkind.

Then came the first night that Linus carried you in with bone jutting out your arm and blood dripping from your head. He’d felt his knees go weak and mind numb as he ushered Linus to the back of the clinic to treat you whilst fighting the tears welling in his eyes the entire time. He’d gone on to autopilot in the hours in between and when he came out of it he was by your side with Maru quietly checking in on him. When he finally felt like you weren’t going to die, he sobbed. He’d never seen you so  _ fragile _ . Not you, you were strong. You’d always been strong. Courageous.  _ Unrelenting _ . Even when beaten and broken down your determination shined behind your eyes. 

It took you three days to wake up. Three long agonizing days where he must have slept only a few hours at most. Thank Yoba for Maru and her family or he may have not slept or eaten at all. Everyone had stopped by at least once to check on you and when he wasn’t giving people their check-ups he was by your side. When your beautiful eyes fluttered open he was there and the relief washed over him when you gave him that same sheepish smile you always did. The one he loved more than anything. He couldn’t help gently carding his hands through your hair and his heart leaped when you nuzzled into his touch. 

“Hey,” you said, voice light and dreamy. Your eyes were still half-lidded, but never once looking away from his face. 

He chuckled quietly and felt the corner of his eyes sting from the tears he had already shed, “Hey yourself.” His thumb rubbed small circles in your hand and he relished in the gentle squeeze you gave back.

“How long have I…?”

“Three days.”

“Oh.”

The birds were chirping and the clock ticked, and somewhere along the line Harvey felt drowned in the silence. Your expression had grown dark and thoughtful, and he couldn’t fathom why. What happened at your dad’s? Your slow movements pulled him out of his melancholy thoughts and he gently pushed you back down with a nervous smile. He spoke your name hesitantly, “You need more rest. Doctor’s orders.”

“Harv, it’s okay. I’m pretty sure that three days is long enough.”

“It took you three days to  _ wake up _ . There could still be internal injuries that might manifest until you start moving around again not to mention your  _ arm _ -”

“Which is why I can’t  _ stay _ here-”

“Which is why you need to stay here!” He didn’t need you to flinch to know that his voice had gotten louder than he’d intended. “I’m sorry for raising my voice, it's just that…” The words were getting caught in his throat and he choked back the mass growing in his throat and tried to even his breaths.

Of course, you noticed. Always so perceptive. You shifted up enough to be eye level with him, “Just what?” While your posture spoke concern your voice… was more accusatory then Harvey would have liked. 

He took a deep breath and let it out, “I’m worried about you.”

“Worried about me? Why?”  
“I…” He stared at you, mouth agape and eyes narrowed in bewilderment, how could you not see what you were doing to yourself? How far down the rabbit hole were you?

You filled in the silence, “I just pushed myself a little too hard. I’ll be more careful next time, promise. Besides, you can’t keep babysitting me forever. You’ll have to get on with your own life eventually, Harv.”

Harvey didn’t know what stung more. The fact that your near-death that had most  _ definitely _ traumatized him at least a little was being characterized as “pushing a little too hard” or that… that there was this implication. This implication of your lives… being separate. Different paths. An end. The mass in his throat tightened and coiled and Harvey bit back a variety of emotions that manifested into an expression of shock. How much had he missed these past few months? What had happened? Did he do something wrong? He squeezed his eyes shut. No, no that wasn’t fair. He was not going to terrorize himself with these kinds of thoughts.

“That was uncalled for.”

“I’m just saying you shouldn’t… wait up for me. I don’t see what’s wrong with that.” 

“I’m not ‘waiting up for you’. I’m trying to support you through… through whatever you’re going through, but you won’t let me. Every time I try to ask, you avoid the question! I’m  _ worried _ because you’re killing yourself over… over...,” he withdrew himself entirely and ran his hands through his hair, “I don’t even  _ know _ . I don’t understand how any ore could be this important to risk your life over.”

“It’s not an ore.”

“Then what is it?”

“Y-you wouldn’t understand.”

“Because you won’t let me!”

“Harvey just  _ stop _ . I don’t have time for this. If it bothers you so damn much then I’ll go somewhere else where I can’t bother you. The mines here don’t even have what I need.” 

“That’s not what I-” But you were already gone. Out the door with a definite slam and Harvey felt like he was watching his whole world fall apart right there. He may have been someone before you, but he’d felt stronger with you around. Braver. It felt silly. He was a grown man. He  _ should _ have been able to do that all on his own, but for some reason, he couldn’t. He collapsed onto one of the waiting room chairs and held his head in his hands, playing the conversation over and over to himself. He’d only caught glimpses of you after that and it’d seemed like the only person who had any idea what you’d been doing was Clint as Pam went missing from the bar. 

Calico Desert. Harvey didn’t know what was out there, but from what he heard you were only getting  _ worse _ and there was really nothing he could do. You were an adult. He couldn’t make these choices for you and he couldn’t force you into taking care of yourself no matter how much he wanted to. His birthday came and passed, and there was nothing at his door, and he thought finally that maybe that it really was the end of it all. Maybe one day you’d be friends again, but he tried not to get his hopes up about it. He’d try one last time during the Feast of the Winter star and if you still didn’t want to talk about it then… that would be it. 

It was 3 a.m. when Harvey bolted out of bed and tripped down the stairs at the sound of pounding at the clinic front door. He was already rife with panic, fully expecting to see Linus or Gunther with the farmer in their arms again, not even thinking he’d be so lucky to see the farmer standing there themself. Yet, when he opened the door he realized it was a different kind of trouble altogether he was facing. Standing there, illuminated by the clinic’s fluorescents, was Pam with wide panicked eyes, labored breath, and crimson red blood drenching the front of her. He knew whose blood it was. There was no way it could be anyone else’s. 

“Where are they?” The words left his mouth before she could even speak, and he didn’t bother hearing her answer when she pointed towards the bus stop. He’d already grabbed his to-go bag and was racing down the cobbled square. Harvey was clad in his green flannel pajamas with his glasses hastily thrown on his face and that would have been mortifying if all his anxious thoughts weren’t centered around them. He barely registered the freezing earth beneath his feet or the beautiful silver moonlight illuminating the night sky. What  _ he  _ saw was drops of crimson bleeding into the snow and felt the white-hot panic pulsing throughout his entire body pushing him to go faster. His palms sweaty, vision blurred, heart racing. There wasn’t time to worry about his own discomforts- it was an hour’s drive from Calico so that was at  _ least _ an hour of the farmer bleeding out. Thirty if Pam had been pushing the speed limit. 

Yoba, how had things come to this? Why hadn’t they  _ listened _ to him? Why hadn’t he tried harder to understand? Why, why,  _ why _ ? The bus stop was too damn far. Why the Hell was the bus stop so far away? Even though his feet were stung with frost and his lungs were burning from the chill air he picked up his speed until he was stumbling up the bus steps nearly eating the steel. He scrambled over on his knees to the seat they were resting on, clad in tattered overalls blood soaking through and into the seat below. 

Harvey called out the farmer’s name, a pathetic whimper, “Please, please tell me you’re okay,” but he couldn’t even hear them breathe. His hands went for their wrist and neck, the pulse a light flutter. He gently prodded their ribs and felt the unnatural give he’d been fearing, then felt the giant bloody hole in their overalls. The tissue was soft and oozing and he realized he was touching an organ and jerked away from them. They’d been pierced straight through the abdomen. They were dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. Tears welled and blocked his vision as he dug through his bag for gloves, antiseptic, and bandages. How they were still alive was beyond him, but if they didn’t die from the blood loss then it would be the septic shock. If he could even get them to the clinic without an organ falling out. He gently wrapped the bandages around them and cursed, he didn’t even know what could cause an injury like this. 

It wasn’t long after that he heard the other townspeople and finally steeled himself. His tears weren’t going to save the Farmer and no one else here was qualified for it. He barked orders, “Alex, put these on. I need you to carry them to the clinic. Be gentle and quick as possible- they can’t lose any more blood. I need someone else to call Zuzu City Hospital and get an ambulance. I can try to stabilize them, but they’re going to need major surgery if they’re going to survive. Mayor Lewis, I need you to call their father and let him know what’s going on. Maru, get the clinic prepped for surgery.” 

Harvey steeled himself and marched back to the clinic, a new fire in his chest. You weren’t going to die tonight. No, he wouldn’t let you. 

Time seemed to slow a little as a quiet hum emanated from the forest and the world took on a new light as he entered the clinic. The exhaustion fled from his body and he and Maru got to work. All he saw was what needed to be done. It should have been impossible. You should have died on the table. But they were able to stabilize you until the paramedics came and Harvey swore that the humming followed you both into the ambulance car and to the Zuzu City hospital. The song was strangely familiar and at times Harvey swore he could see something out of the corner of his eye, but he brushed it off. 

He fell asleep in the waiting room when the sun crested the world and bathed in a golden glow and when he woke up to the smell of coffee he heard the whispers of his dream and a final note of quiet humming, like the tinkling of a bell.

_ “Thank you…” _

He was greeted by Mayor Lewis’s tired smile and a styrofoam cup in his face, “Sorry, mayor? Did you say something?”

Lewis chuckled and Harvey took the cup, “I said good morning,  _ hero _ . I knew you were the right choice for the clinic when I asked you to come run it, but I didn’t realize you could work miracles, Doctor.”

Harvey shrugged and curled into himself, “I can’t. Are they okay? Did they make it?”

“They’re in recovery right now. Probably won’t be awake for a while, but we can go see the farmer after you’ve finished your coffee and gotten something in you. I know the food here isn’t anything from the  _ valley _ , but it’s better than nothing.”

Harvey leaned back in his chair and felt the tears prick the corners of his eyes, but he smiled. You were  _ alive _ . You’d be okay.  _ You’d be okay. _ Lewis sighed fondly and gave Harvey’s shoulder a firm pat.

“C’mon, Harvey. Sooner you eat, sooner you can see the farmer.”

The hospital food was horribly familiar. Somehow it’d gotten worse since he’d left for Pelican Town, but it provided him with some comfort. Memories of eating with his fellow interns after getting called in for another long night and the anxiety of waiting to see how they all did on exams. So much jello.  _ So much jello _ . He watched families eat, friends reunite, and doctors scarf down their next meal for the next who knew how long. It wasn’t surprising to him, but he knew it was strange to feel so at home and comfortable in a hospital. The cafeteria had changed a lot since his internship, new windows giving view to Zuzu City (safely reinforced so that way they couldn’t be opened) and walls now painted with colorful murals. No reason the hospital had to be more depressing than it already was. 

After they ate, the pair made their way to the visitor’s desk, “I’m looking for-”

“ _ Harvey? Is that you? _ ” 

“Miles?” His hair was longer than the choppy mess Harvey remembered, now pulled into a tight ponytail and his beard was thick, but even being octaves lower Harvey knew exactly who it was. “Why do you still have those?” Harvey gestured to the other man’s nurse scrubs.

Miles laughed, soft hazel eyes smiling, “It’s good to see you too. You in Zuzu for a while? We should catch up. Grab a drink.” Memories of young drunken confessions bubbled to the surface and Harvey had to wonder if that was intentional. 

“A… friend of mine is in the hospital.” Lewis “respectfully” “coughed”, but his smile was up to his ears. Harvey pretended not to notice. “So I don’t know how long it’ll be. I need to see them.” 

“Alright, sounds good. Last Name?” 

“Ah…” Harvey turned around, panicked, and Lewis stepped in and gave Miles the farmer’s last name. 

“Let’s see, are you looking for a Mx. or Mr.?” 

“Mr.?”

“We have two patients by that last name in the system.” Harvey’s frown deepened, something about that shouldn’t have been so weird to him but it was, and he supplied your first name. Miles tsked, “Sorry, it looks like only family is allowed to visit right now.”

Lewis cleared his throat, “I’m their godfather, Lewis Williams, and Harvey and them are engaged.” Harvey choked. “He’s just being shy about it.”

Miles smiled knowingly, “ _ Oh _ ! Great, okay. Thaaat checks out. Then I guess… here are your visitor passes. Visiting hours end at 6 pm! It’s room thirteen on the fourth floor! Tell Mx.Harvey congratulations for me.” He winked and Harvey felt like falling  _ into  _ the floor. His face felt like it was on fire. This had to be malpractice. 

Once they had checked in and got their passes Harvey walked off, still embarrassed with Lewis laughing behind him. It wasn’t hard to find and the light-hearted moment from before saved Harvey from thinking about what his dear farmer would look like when he got there, but nothing could prepare him. His hand hesitated over the door handle and Lewis put a comforting hand to Harvey’s back, “Want me to wait outside?” 

“I… I don’t know.” He and the mayor had never been close, their relationship is more business than anything, but he wasn’t sure if he could face this alone. He found himself wishing Maru was here. 

“I’ll be right here in case you need me, doctor.”

“Thank you.”

He opened the door and there you were sound asleep. There was a respirator over your mouth and tubes coming out from your arms and side, but the color had returned to your cheeks and there was not even a fleck of blood. He took a step. And then another. Nearly collapsed onto the chair. You were alive. You were okay. There were no more tears. No more pinpricks. All the exhaustion in his body fell on him at once and he held onto your hand to anchor himself. He fell asleep there and whatever nurses that were on duty must have pitied him because he didn’t wake up until the next morning. 

Fingers twisted gingerly in his hair as he woke again to the steady beeping of a monitor. He raised his head at the hand coming to gently rest on his cheek, “Mornin’ Harv.”

“Morning.” Then came the tears again. You pulled his head to gently rest against your own but the tears wouldn’t stop coming. “You’re an  _ idiot _ . You can’t keep doing this to yourself-”

“I know.”

“You could have died-”

“I know.”

“I could have lost you-”

“I-I know.”

“I don’t know what I would have done if you had-”

“Harv.”

“I love you, I love you so so much and you don’t even know! I know that I’m older and not as  _ charming _ as Elliot o-or as creative as Emily, and you don’t need to love me back-”

_ “Harvey! _ I know!” The doctor opened his watery eyes to meet your fiery determined stare and felt the heat radiating off your cheeks. His own must have been just as hot. “I love you too.”

“Oh.”

You snickered and entangled your hands in his hair, “I’ve known for a while. I thought you knew?”

“I… This is embarrassing. I can’t believe I said that.” 

“Yeah, it was pretty dramatic. What are you? 40? 45? What’s an old guy like you going and confessing your love like that.”

He frowned and pulled away from them, “I’m thirty- _ eight _ . Don’t make this weird.”

You smiled lazily, “Don’t worry when you’re in diapers I’ll still think you’re hot. Geriatrics are in on the internet right now.” 

“Still not funny.” 

“Hey! I almost died. You’re obligated by law to laugh at my jokes. Seriously, I read it in a book in college once.” 

“Oh? Really? What book was that?”

“ _ Things To Say To Your Hopeless Crush _ .”

“Hah.”

“Not even a pity laugh. You’re cruel Dr. Harvey. Terrible bedside manner. H-hey stop looking at me like that.” But he couldn’t help the dopey smile on his face. Being here with you, like this, melted away all the months of loneliness and heartbreak. He was still angry with you but… for right now he could put that to the side. “C’mon, Harvey I don’t… I don’t deserve a look like that.”

“Sorry?”

“You… I… I remember being in the mines. Blacking out. And… all I could think about was how I’d failed. How much of a jerk I’d been. I was bleeding out in the bottom of the Skull Cavern mines, hours away from home, and for what? I was never going to find that “cure” and I was gonna die with everything between us being…” Now there were tears in  _ your _ eyes and Harvey held your hand to his lips, gently giving loving kisses. It was forward, but you two were passed being blushy teens. “Yoba, are you  _ trying _ to kill me? Isn’t that against your Hippocratic oath?” For the most part, anyway.

Harvey shook his head with fondness deep in his eyes, “I would never want that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You're too good for that.”

“No, I just love you.”

“ _ Stop that _ . You’re really too cute, all blushy and dopey. It’s not fair.”

“How’s it not fair?”

“You get this glittery look in your eyes, then I can’t breathe. How can you be so cute?”

“You make me like that.”

“Does the cheesiness come with age?”

He rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss against your forehead, “No, I do it especially to torture you.”

“ _ I knew it _ .” 

He chuckled and caressed your cheek, “I think you need some more rest.” He spoke your name with so much devotion and care that he should have been a tiny bit embarrassed, but he wasn’t. Too tired. He got up and felt a tug at his sleeve.

“Wait, Harv.”

“You need rest.”

“No, I know I was… I…” Calloused hands fiddled with edges of the blanket and beautiful eyes became preoccupied with anything but him. “I’m sorry, Harvey. For everything. I was  _ selfish _ and  _ mean _ and you deserve so so much better than me. I should have been better.” You looked back up at him, “I’m sorry.” 

“I forgive you.”

“Huh? What? Why?”

“Will you promise that from now on you’ll talk to me? If something’s wrong then you need to let me help you. The world isn’t on your shoulders.”

“Promise.” Watery eyes and wobbly words, but it was more than enough for him. All he ever wanted was you to take care of yourself. To be there for you when you needed someone.

“Then I promise to love you and stand by your side. Sound like a plan?”

You laughed through the wobbles, “Yeah, it does.”

“Alright, get some rest.” Warm pleasant butterflies erupted in his chest and stomach and he couldn’t have wiped the grin on his face if he tried. He was at the door when his dearest farmer called for him again.

“Yes?”

“You should probably change. I might think the pajamas and sneakers are cute, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t want to be hanging around your old work looking like that. Especially with my dad wheeling around somewhere.”

“ _ Oh, Yoba. _ ”

  
  



End file.
